Clocks went back by an hour over the weekend so its now gone 10pm instead off 11pm on Monday night. It feels more like a Sunday night as I had the day off today. I went out to a city called Plymouth to a bar called Walkabout to sing Karaoke with some friends on Sunday. I hope we all had a good night and got up and sang our little hearts out.
Some of my favourite songs that I sing relate to a connection between my head and heart in the songs concerning such unspoken matters such as unrequited love, past lovers no longer with us and love lost as well as other other things that are also important to me such as the loss of my father and brother or what will happen to us all on this planet in the future (all good deep and meaningful issues on my mind of coure).
I got to sing three songs last night – the first was ‘the Blowers Daughter’ by Damien Rice. The next song I sung I was ‘Fields of Gold’ by Sting and finally I sang a song by the killers called ‘All the things I have done’. I bit of drunken crowd participation took place too which was aq lot of fun and also late night out as the bar shut about 1:30am and I got home just after 2:30am so lucky to have the day off really as a means of recovering from such a late night.
It’s a big venue with a big stage but does not really get that full so feels quite intimate to sing there and there are lots of other really good singers that also get up and give it their best. Since lock down back at the beginning of the 2020’s I have met so many good and new friends due to singing at Karaoke bars and it really has brought so many great opportunities too and a new lease of life for me.
I really do enjoy meeting new people and getting to know who they are and what makes them tick. I don’t know if this is a natural curious state of mind or brought on even more due to having lost people through them passing away and so searching for ways to meet other new and lovely people as a means to try and compensate for those that have been lost. This will be my first Christmas without my Dad which is strange and even though it’s still nearly 2 months away it is nonetheless a though on my mind.
Oct. 2nd 2024, Nuuk, Greenland – In what is quickly becoming a test of judicial integrity and international solidarity, marine conservation legend Captain Paul Watson appeared for his fourth court hearing today in Nuuk, Greenland. Despite increasing global attention and pressure for his release, the prosecution has requested yet another extension of Watson’s detention until October 23, 2024.
“In our view, the criteria for extradition have been met according to the accusations in the Japanese arrest warrant. Therefore, there is no point in analysing any documents. The detention is extended by 3 weeks, until Wednesday, October 23rd.” stated Stig Norskov-Jensen, the Greenland Court Judge in his ruling today.
During today’s session, Watson’s legal team demanded that critical evidence proving his innocence be admitted into the proceedings. However, the court, aligning with the prosecutor’s position, refused to allow the defence’s evidence yet again.
Lawyer Jonas Christoffersen explained: “Paul Watson has been in custody for four months, without the Court of Greenland or the High Court of Greenland having given permission for Paul Watson to document in court what the case is about. In our opinion, it is against his human rights for a judge to assess the evidence and the basis for a remand.”
The prosecution argued that Watson’s involvement in an anti-whaling operation, specifically his presence during Pete Bethune’s 2010 stink bomb action on a Japanese whaling vessel, was enough to justify the extradition request from Japan. They maintained that any evidence the defence presented was irrelevant under the circumstances.
Watson’s lawyer denounced the charges, stating that the legal actions against his client are wildly disproportionate, with the prosecutor asserting that a stink bomb attack constitutes an intentional assault on a ship, despite it being non-lethal. As the defence attempted to respond to this claim, the judge cut them off, disallowing any further discussion regarding the rejected evidence.
“The latest extension took place today, October 2, and we will now appeal to the High Court, and then we hope that the Supreme Court will put its foot down and state that anyone who is in remand – regardless of whether it is in an extradition case – has the right to have a judge see the key documents of the case and make a proper assessment of whether there is a basis for a detention.” Stated Christofferson
In an emotional conclusion, Captain Watson stated: “This is my 73rd day in prison. I’ve missed my children’s birthdays, who just turned 3 and 8 years old. My accusers are criminals, and this isn’t just my opinion – it’s the judgment from the International Court of Justice and the Australian Federal Court. We’re talking about a bruise on someone’s cheek caused not by our stink bomb but by their own pepper spray. The Japanese rammed and split a ship in two, risking the lives of 6 crew members, whom we had to save” Concluding “I cannot believe that Denmark would extradite me to Japan – it would be my death sentence. Denmark respects human rights.”
Watson’s supporters worldwide are growing increasingly frustrated with what they see as a politically motivated attempt to silence a man who has spent more than 50 years protecting marine wildlife, particularly whales, from illegal poaching and exploitation. The Captain Paul Watson Foundation has called on international human rights organizations to intervene and ensure Watson is given a fair trial.
Rob Read, Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Paul Watson Foundation UK, who attended the hearing in Nuuk today stated: “Our main worry is that the Judge feels the extradition requirements have been met and Paul is at real risk of a life sentence in Japan leaving our oceans without their greatest protector”.
Watson, who was arrested on July 21st 2024 while refueling his ship in Nuuk, Greenland on his way to stop a Japanese factory whaling vessel from hunting endangered Fin Whales (on a decades-old Interpol warrant issued by Japan), faces charges for allegedly injuring a crew member during a 2010 stink bomb incident in Antarctica, opposing illegal Japanese whaling. Yet, Watson and his defence team argue that the charges are a smokescreen designed to deter him and others from opposing Japan’s whaling activities.
Recent news has implicated Danish Authorities and Faroe Islands police in Watson’s arrest. A Parliamentary enquiry into the case by Watson’s lawyers revealed Faroese Police tracked Watson and alerted the Danish Justice Ministry of his movements, triggering Watson’s ambush in Greenland. Denmark’s stance on international whaling laws and conservation efforts is often scrutinized, especially in relation to Faroese whaling practices, which are defended as cultural heritage by some and condemned by others, particularly within the marine conservation community.
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation, in collaboration with other environmental groups, continues to demand Watson’s immediate release. They argue that his detention and potential extradition are politically motivated, serving as a warning to others who dare to challenge the whaling industry.
July 9th 2010 is a date that comes up on my computer pictures timeline for a wonderful visit from Portsmouth to the Island of Alderney on a tall ship no less when I was 34 some 14 years ago now.
Alderney is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is 3 miles long and 1+1⁄2 miles wide. The island’s area is 3 square miles, making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick.
I was staying in supported accommodation in Chepstow in South Wales at the time of the trip to Alderney, after having come out of a hospital stay, due to struggling with my mental health back then. Though I am pleased to say that that was the last time I spent time in hospital due to my mental health and had I not been staying in accommodation in Chepstow I would never have been invited to sail on the ship.
I was well on the way to recovery when this trip to Alderney took place and it really was a great adventure and a real privilege to go there on the working tall ship. I have just spent the last two hours trying to work out the name of the charity that we sailed with and also the name of the boat. Which I am pleased to say I found out eventually.
It turns out the boat is called as already mentioned in the title the Queen Galadriel and was originally built in 1937 in Svenborg, Denmark and was named Else first after the Captain’s daughter. She traded as a cargo vessel around the coasts of Denmark and Norway, initially as a motor sailor but after 1956 under motor alone. In 1983, she was bought by The Cirdan Sailing Trust and went into service, renamed the Queen Galadriel. The Ciridan Saling trust still run her today and groups or individuals can still pay to go on trips with her.
Back in 2010 the weather was stunning when we sailed out to Alderney, really hot, but with a cool breeze on the ship so you did not really feel the heat too much when sailing. Alderney was such a lovely place to visit also, with the beaches there being really special as well.
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